The next day, when I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
Even right after getting kicked out of the party, sleeping until noon feels pretty good. I let out a small self-deprecating laugh. Yesterday I crashed as soon as I checked into this inn, so I still have not made any real plans for what comes next.
I am a little surprised at how calm I feel, but I sit down and review my current situation to figure out my next steps.
I still have quite a bit of money and materials from my time with the Hero Party that I can exchange for cash. That should let me live comfortably for a while without working. But no matter how far that stretches, it will not last forever if I never earn more.
So from now on I need to start making money again, bit by bit. There are basically three main ways to do that.
The first is to keep going as an explorer, just like before. Labyrinths full of demonic beasts are scattered across the continent in underground spaces. People who dive in, defeat monsters, gather resources, and sell them for profit are called explorers. The main things sold are magic stones and beast materials from subjugations, plus ores and plants found inside.
The second option is to get hired somewhere for a regular job. The pay might be lower, but there is almost no danger, and it promises a stable life. Of course, that only holds if the employer is not a nightmare to work for.
The third is to open my own shop and run a business. I have a few ideas that could turn a profit, but this path has the lowest certainty of success. On the flip side, it also has the highest potential to make serious money.
"Out of these, being an explorer is really the only choice for me."
To be honest, I did not even need to think hard about it. I do not care about getting filthy rich, and the reason I became an explorer in the first place was my own choice. Sure, I started out together with Oliver, but I did not follow him into this life. I chose the path of an explorer because I wanted to.
Now that I have decided to keep exploring, the first thing I need is to check my current strength.
Until yesterday I was diving as an enchanter for the party. There were many reasons I took on that role, but mostly it was to fit what the group needed. Now I am free from the Hero Party's circumstances, so starting today I am going back to being a swordsman.
I originally became an explorer because I admired skilled swordsmen who explored. I cannot give up on that dream here. Even in the Hero Party, I began as a swordsman. It is true that before I switched to enchantment, Oliver was already better with the blade, and even now his raw physical ability outclasses mine.
But after spending time as an enchanter and developing my own spells, I believe I have grown several steps stronger overall than when I stopped being a pure swordsman. Maybe even stronger than Oliver, the one they call the Sword Saint.
Still, there has been a gap in my sword practice, so I need to regain my intuition and sharpness first.
Once I get that back, clearing the middle floors of the Great Labyrinth should be no issue at all.
"Come to think of it, I heard a new labyrinth opened nearby just the other day."
I decide to head to that newly discovered one. I gather my exploration gear and leave the inn.
I have no idea why labyrinths exist in the first place. Apparently they started appearing suddenly in various places hundreds of years ago. Their internal structures differ wildly. Some look like man-made stone corridors, others like natural caves, and a few even have open spaces that feel almost like the surface world.
Most labyrinths have between ten and thirty floors with a similar layout, but four on the continent are exceptions. These are the massive ones said to have a hundred layers each, commonly called the Great Labyrinths.
In a Great Labyrinth, the scenery and harvestable resources change dramatically every certain number of floors. Because of that, many say you never need to dive into smaller labyrinths if you are exploring a Great one. You can get all kinds of plants, minerals, beast materials, and magic stones from a single place. In reality it is not quite that simple, but I will skip the details for now. Because of all this, how deep someone has gone in a Great Labyrinth has become a kind of status symbol among explorers.
I arrive at the labyrinth I was aiming for.
Employees from the Explorer's Guild are managing the entrance. To go inside, you just show your guild card to the staff on duty.
I walk up and present my card right there.
"Well... you are diving into the labyrinth alone?"
The female guild employee looks around me. After confirming I am by myself, she asks the question.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"There is no problem with the rules, but labyrinths are extremely dangerous places. Going solo is pretty reckless. If you head to the guild headquarters, there are plenty of explorers looking to form parties. I really think you should team up first."
She gives the advice in a gentle, concerned tone.
What she is saying makes perfect sense. But I have heard the monsters in this particular labyrinth are only about as strong as the upper floors of the Great Labyrinth, or maybe even weaker. If that is true, I can handle it without any trouble.
I appreciate that she is being kind, but I wish she had at least glanced at my card before jumping to advice.
"Thank you for the concern, but I will be fine on my own. You will see why if you check my card properly."
"...Your card? ...Oh..."
The guild employee's face stiffens as she finally looks at it closely.
On the surface, a guild card is mainly used to prove someone is a registered explorer. So it only displays two key pieces of information: the owner's name and their deepest reached floor in the Great Labyrinth.
In other words, my card shows that in this city, I have reached the 94th floor of the Great Labyrinth.
"Kyu... you reached the 94th floor!? I am so sorry for my rudeness!"
Her whole attitude flips instantly. She bows deeply with real force.
"No, it is fine. May I go in now?"
"Please, go right ahead."
With permission granted, I step into the labyrinth.